Gage-alarm



(No Model.)

H. GUNDERMAN.

GAGE ALARM.

No. 600,244. Patented Mar. 8,1898.

Jfenzyfunerman/Q A UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

HENRY CUNDERMAN, OF BROOKFIELD, VISCON SIN.

GAG E-ALARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 600,244, dated March 8, 1898.

Application iiled July 7, 1897. Serial No. 643,780. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t 71mg/ concern.'

Be it known that I, HENRY CUNDERMAN, residing at Brookiield, in the county of vWaukesha and State of Visconsin, have invented a new and useful Gage-Alarm, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to steam-gages, and has for its object to provide an alarm mechanism to be adapted to steam-gages to give warning when the pressure of steam in the boiler is too high or too low, as may be desired.

Vith this object in view my invention consists in a steam-gage provided with the usual graduated scale and hand or pointer and a curved slotted bar extending wholly or partially around the dial-plate, the stem of the pointer and said plate being both connected in an electric circuit passing through an alarmbell, and a contact-plate adapted to be secured in the slot of said bar and to lie upon the face of the dial in the path of the pointer while indicating the pressure of steam.

My invention further consists in the improved construction, arrangement, and combination of details hereinafter fully described, and afterward specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention most nearly appertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which-` Figure lis a front view of a steam-gage provided with my invention in position for practical operation. Fig. 2 is a section through the same on the line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view showing the curved slotted bar removed from the dial-plate. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the contactplate removed.

Like letters of kreference mark the same parts wherever they occur in the various figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings by letter, A is the dial-plate of an ordinary steam-gage provided with the usual graduated scale B and hand or pointer O, pivotally secured in the center of the dial-plate. These parts may be of any ordinary well-known or approved construction to suit the tastes of the manufacturer or user and form no part of my invenA tion, which may be applied to steam-gages constructed in and of the styles now known.

D is a curved slotted plate secured around the outer edge of the dial-plate by screws E E or in any other well-known manner, the main body of the slotted plate being slightly raised above the dial-plate to admit of the free movement thereunder of a contact-plate F, rest-ing upon or in close contact with the face of the dial. The stem G of the contact-plate F passes under the slotted bar D and is formed as part of or secured to a T-shaped bar Il, the stem I of which passes upward through the slot of the bar D and is provided with an upwardly-projecting screw upon which is engaged a thumb-nut J, by means of which the contact-plate can be securely fastened at any point on the bar D. The bar D may be extended partially or entirely around the dialplate, as may be desired.

K represents a wire of an electric circuit connected with any suitable source of electric energy, such as the batteries L, in which circuit is an alarm mechanism M, one pole of the circuit being connected to the curved bar D and the other to the stem C of the hand or pointer C.

The contact-plate F may be of any desired length and will usually be made to cover the space which the hand or pointer is required to pass over in indicating about ten pounds of pressure. The face A of the dial must be made of or coated with some material which is a.non-conductor of electricity, and the various parts of the device must be properly insulated.

In the operation of my invention when it is desired that the alarm shall be soun dedsay when the steam-pressure reaches eighty-live pounds-the contact-plate F will be placed in the position shown in Fig. l of the drawings, in which it covers the space on the graduated scale which indicates a pressure of from eighty-live to nin ety-five pounds. The boiler having been heated and steam generated therein, the pointer C will gradually move around the scale until the pressure reaches eighty-five pounds, when the forward end of the pointer will have reached and come in contact with the contact-plate F. This will complete the circuit K and sound the alarm,

IOO

which alarm will continue sounding as long as the pressure of steam remains between eighty-five and ninety-five pounds, during which time the outer end of the pointer will remain in contact with the contact-plate F and keep the electric circuit closed.

In order that the steam may not be permitted to reach a pressure less than a given number of pounds, a contact-plate F (shown in dotted lines in Fig. l) may be so placed that the falling of the pressure to the indicated point will complete the circuit and sound the alarm in the same manner as before described. The low-pressure alarm will generally be provided with a bell of a different sound from that of the high-pressure alarm, and, if desired, two or more contact-plates may be secured to the curved bar I) to indicate different pressures, two being generally as many as are useful, one to indicate when the pressure has reached a certain height and the other to indicate when the pressure has decreased below a certain number of pounds. The alarmbell 1n ay be placed in another room, if desired, and a switch provided in the circuit to cut out the bell when necessary or desirable.

The advantages attending the use of my invention will be obvious from the foregoing` description, and when a steam-gage is provided with the improvements described it will not be necessary to pay such strict attention to the condition ot' the gage indicating the steam-pressure as is now necessary, and in many instances the person taking care of the boiler and engine may safely perform other duties at any distance from the boiler within range of the sound of the alarm.

My invention may be used upon boilers not provided with safety valves or automatic blow-offs and will be of great benefit even when the boiler is provided with every known means for the prevention of accidents in the shape of such valves or blow-offs.

Vhile I have illustrated and described what I believe to be the best means now known to me for carrying out my invention, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact construction and arrangement shown and described, but hold that such slight changes and variations as might suggest themselves to the ordinary mechanic would properly fall within the limit and scope of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

I. A steam-gage, having the usual graduated scale and hand or pointer, and provided with a curved, slotted bar attached to the dial-plate, and a contactplate, adjustably securable in the slot of said curved bar, in the path of movement of the outer end of the hand or pointer, the curved bar and the stem of the hand or pointer forming the two poles of an electric circuit, substantially as set forth.

2. A steam-gage, having the usual graduated scale and hand or pointer C, t-he curved slotted bar D, secured upon the dial at a short distance from its face, and the contact-plate F, connected to the 'IV-shaped bar, whose stem I passes upwardly through the slot of said bar, and is adj ustably secured therein by thumb-nuts J, the stem C, upon which the hand or pointer is mounted, serving as one pole of an electric circuit and the curved bar as the other pole, the parts being combined and arranged substantially as described.

HENRY CUNDERMAN.

IVitnesses:

C. L. PUrNnY, G. W. BROWN. 

